Halo 4 update: Network tests and cover of Game Informer

I'm loving the constant updates from the team working on Halo 4, 343 Industries. In a statement on their blog, Chris Lee, 343's Lead Producer on Halo 4, said:

This past month the proof of this was seen in our internal network test. We created a slice of multiplayer gameplay, got it running smoothly, and polished it to bring it much of the way to H4 ship quality across the board. Then we added new backend tech pieces, network optimizations, and game modes. We did this to ensure we would learn everything possible about how H4 will perform over home networks once we release it into the wild.

I really love how 343 is taking us fans step by step through the process. Any doubts I had in them taking over the series is gone, as they're replacing it with reassurance and information. The next step for them is focusing on the next internal network test build, more polish, and in Chris' words, "more awesome."

Some information behind this network test: it was internal, consisting of Microsoft employees. They tested network situations, like latency, the effects of internet connections going down, and stuff that happens to users once the game is live. I'd dive into specifics, but I honestly don't know enough about this technical stuff to comment on it, but you can read all about it on their blog. You can rest easy knowing that everything that happened in the game was sent, received, and recorded properly as it was sent back and forth to the servers. Yay!

They were able to spot positive and negative trends in this test, as well as weapon statistics — who killed who with what, this weapon is more effective than this weapon, etc.

Here's a graph I don't understand.

Also, as you can see from our feature image, that is the cover art for the Halo 4 Game Informer issue, and it looks awesome. Game Informer is going to have a 14-page cover story taking an in-depth look at Halo 4, its gameplay modes, and tons more.

The future is looking bright for Halo 4, and this is one fan that can't wait to see how bright it can truly get. Stay tuned for more Halo 4 update and information.